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Lightening the load, but still need "big" cabs

bassgod76

bassgod76

Garbage bassist, but I love this goofy instrument
Mar 13, 2003
5,329
1,133
South Florida
#1
Since 2000, I have labored under the utopia that my Eden rig was the best. For 12 years, I've used her, and have had zero issues.

A few months back, I bought a GK MB200 as an emergency spare.

I used this amp at a gig, and it blew me away. Combined with the weight and more aggressive tone, I will most likely sell my Eden head for a GK MB800.

Now I look at my cabs. Surely, nothing could be out there that is nicely priced, lighter in weight, and better sounding that my Eden 410XLT's?

I'm living on 12 year old knowledge.

Are new cabs as amazing as this new micro amp technology?

If so, what cabs should I take a gander at?
 
#2
Yes. Two GK Neo112's and the MB800 would be an amazing, lightweight and affordable rig that will give you about 80% of the output of your boat anchor 410XLT, and at least a somewhat similar aggressive punchy tone with about 30% of the total weight.

LOTS of options out there, and I would wait for a few weeks until we see what is being introduced for 2013, since NAMM (the big equipment trade show) is going on as we speak.
 
#4
There are a lot of amazing cabs out there that you should check out:

Barefaced Bass
fEARful
fEARless
Greenboy cabs
Baer Amplification
Audiokinesis Thunderchild
Bill FitzMaurice designs

IMHO all of these are way better than what you will find in big box stores, and depending on options can come in way lighter too.

I used to use an 810, but now I use a 100 pound Link Removed which will outperform an 810 in volume by a fair bit. Mike Arnopol built this Link Removed, which is louder than an ampeg 810e. Depending on the tone you are chasing you might prefer a Thunderchild or Baer ML cab. For a primary "rock" tone I think a pair of the upcoming Baer ML-115's would be a killer rig.
 
#5
bassgod76 said:
The limitation I have is that I need bigger cabs for the visual element of my band. Maybe this is a dumb question.
Click to expand...

There are 'big lightweight' cabs also. Quite frankly, a GK 112 stack is not that much smaller than a 410XLT.

I would also say that the 'visual' element of a big cab is a bit like 'talking to yourself'. :p

However, if you are using two 410XLT's, that is big. Those cabs have a unique tonal footprint (I really like them). Two of the GK NEO 212's would still 'look big' and again give you a bit of that punchy, aggressive tonallity of your daul 410XLT's in a much lighter package, and won't break the bank.

I would recommend holding off for a couple of weeks. There is some new stuff coming out per NAMM, and there will be at some new 212 options out there that will give you the visual thing you might be looking for, and also the tonality you seem to like.
 
#8
CL400Peavey said:
There are a lot of amazing cabs out there that you should check out:

Barefaced Bass
fEARful
fEARless
Greenboy cabs
Baer Amplification
Audiokinesis Thunderchild
Bill FitzMaurice designs

IMHO all of these are way better than what you will find in big box stores, and depending on options can come in way lighter too.

I used to use an 810, but now I use a 100 pound Link Removed which will outperform an 810 in volume by a fair bit. Mike Arnopol built this Link Removed, which is louder than an ampeg 810e. Depending on the tone you are chasing you might prefer a Thunderchild or Baer ML cab. For a primary "rock" tone I think a pair of the upcoming Baer ML-115's would be a killer rig.
Click to expand...

What does that 15661 go for? The config looks crazy! :-)
 
#9
bassgod76 said:
What does that 15661 go for? The config looks crazy! :-)
Click to expand...

Unless you are a DIY kind of guy, you have to have a custom builder build one for you, and , it aint cheap ! You can get " kits " to assemble, or get some plans and try to bang it together yourself. That particular cab is probably a fEARful.
 
#10
bassgod76 said:
What does that 15661 go for? The config looks crazy! :-)
Click to expand...

They are not cheap, but the plans are free and I know there have been a couple knocking around in the used market here on TB. Also the fEARless 215 slim, and 215 wide might be a good option to check into as well. They are 25-30 pounds lighter than the 1515/66/1, and cheaper to boot! If you are not tuning below drop A, you wont miss any of the lows (the original fEARful line was designed around a ER bass tuning of low F# or something like that...)
 
#11
CL400Peavey said:
They are not cheap, but the plans are free and I know there have been a couple knocking around in the used market here on TB. Also the fEARless 215 slim, and 215 wide might be a good option to check into as well. They are 25-30 pounds lighter than the 1515/66/1, and cheaper to boot! If you are not tuning below drop A, you wont miss any of the lows (the original fEARful line was designed around a ER bass tuning of low F# or something like that...)
Click to expand...

For this class of cab, the fEARless models will get him much closer to the tone he is used to with the XLT's versus the much wider and cleaner sounding fEARFul IMO.

I would think the top end of the fEARless models, and the bit less low end extension would make him feel relatively 'at home', and still outperform that 200+ pound XLT stack.
 
#12
KJung said:
For this class of cab, the fEARless models will get him much closer to the tone he is used to with the XLT's versus the much wider and cleaner sounding fEARFul IMO.

I would think the top end of the fEARless models, and the bit less low end extension would make him feel relatively 'at home', and still outperform that 200+ pound XLT stack.
Click to expand...

I think the fEARless 215 is the way to go as well. I know Mike Arnopol built one that was 50 pounds which is just stoopit performance/weight. Baltic birch models have been coming in at 78-80 pounds depending on the hardware used. Still lighter than a single one of his 410's.
 
#13
KJung said:
There are 'big lightweight' cabs also. Quite frankly, a GK 112 stack is not that much smaller than a 410XLT.

I would also say that the 'visual' element of a big cab is a bit like 'talking to yourself'. :p

However, if you are using two 410XLT's, that is big. Those cabs have a unique tonal footprint (I really like them). Two of the GK NEO 212's would still 'look big' and again give you a bit of that punchy, aggressive tonallity of your daul 410XLT's in a much lighter package, and won't break the bank.

I would recommend holding off for a couple of weeks. There is some new stuff coming out per NAMM, and there will be at some new 212 options out there that will give you the visual thing you might be looking for, and also the tonality you seem to like.
Click to expand...

The big cab requirement is because of the band I'm in. I have two guitards showing up with full Marshall stacks. My rig has to appear to be the same size, relatively. The joy of being in a KISS tribute. :rolleyes:

I like having two cabs, so I can just use one for small venues.
 
#14
fEARful cabs, especially if you want it built for you, aren't exactly cheap, but in comparison to a brand-new ampeg 810 I'd say it's overall a better deal. For about the same price, possibly less if you build it yourself, you can get a cab that'll steal the ampeg's lunch money and spend it on extra bass and hi-fidelity.
 
#16
pie_man_25 said:
fEARful cabs, especially if you want it built for you, aren't exactly cheap, but in comparison to a brand-new ampeg 810 I'd say it's overall a better deal. For about the same price, possibly less if you build it yourself, you can get a cab that'll steal the ampeg's lunch money and spend it on extra bass and hi-fidelity.
Click to expand...

+1

We are not talking about budget cabs here. Your current cabs are not budget cabs by a long shot, so it didnt make any sense to me to recommend something that is compromising on tone to meet weight and price requirements.
 
#17
bassgod76 said:
Going to a 215 format, will I lose that punch? My Eden 410XLT with that GKMB200 is a punchy beast.
Click to expand...

That is the point I'm talking about. I have not played the fEARless versions of these very nice cabs, but the fEARfuls were WAY too wide and way too 'clinical' and clean up top. VERY hard to EQ that out... they are what they are.

The fEARless have a tighter low end and a bit more organic up top (better mid driver IMO), but they will still not sound anything like the XLT cabs.

IMO, you would be better served to look for a more traditional two way cab with tweeter with high quality neo drivers to somewhat match the tone of your XLT's.

IMO and a bit of IME on that, having gigged the XLT's back in the day, and owned a 15/6 fEARful for a short while.
 
#18
bassgod76 said:
The big cab requirement is because of the band I'm in. I have two guitards showing up with full Marshall stacks. My rig has to appear to be the same size, relatively. The joy of being in a KISS tribute. :rolleyes:

I like having two cabs, so I can just use one for small venues.
Click to expand...

I think it would be equally cool to have a much smaller rig than them, but be able to blow their doors off at will:bassist:
 
#19
KJung said:
That is the point I'm talking about. I have not played the fEARless versions of these very nice cabs, but the fEARfuls were WAY too wide and way too 'clinical' and clean up top. VERY hard to EQ that out... they are what they are.

The fEARless have a tighter low end and a bit more organic up top (better mid driver IMO), but they will still not sound anything like the XLT cabs.

IMO, you would be better served to look for a more traditional two way cab with tweeter with high quality neo drivers to somewhat match the tone of your XLT's.

IMO and a bit of IME on that, having gigged the XLT's back in the day, and owned a 15/6 fEARful for a short while.
Click to expand...

I love my Edens. I just know that they are heavy, and I figured I'd inquire to see what the new "Eden" is.
 

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